by Sara Orwig
“Lianna,” he said gently, “he sent a messenger to me to meet him. I have no idea where he resides, and he leaves this afternoon for his new ship. He wants to be free.”
“I have to hear him say it,” she insisted, feeling that Edwin had to be lying. Josh couldn’t have changed so much.
“I’m not lying to you!” he snapped.
“I can’t believe Josh doesn’t want to see his son.”
“Perhaps he thinks it’s my son.”
She drew her breath. “You let him think that—”
“No! I told him the baby was his, but he knew nothing about it when you parted, so he has his doubts now. And he doesn’t want to see you.”
“I have to see him.”
“And have him hurt you anew?” Edwin rubbed his hand over his jaw. “I didn’t want to tell you, but there’s a woman in his life, Lady Wellman. They plan to wed if you’ll set him free.”
“Josh, marry…?” With her mind reeling as if from an invisible blow, she stared beyond Edwin, forgetting his presence. Dimly she heard him add, “Lady Wellman is enormously wealthy, Lianna. She can give Josh the acceptance in society he never had.”
Lianna put her face in her hands and wept silently while Edwin waited. He gave her his handkerchief. “You must be brave. He wants you to write a letter asking for an annulment. As much as I’ve wanted the same thing, Lianna, I can’t ask you to write now, when you’ve received such a shock.”
“I still would like to see him.”
“Lianna, he’s a sailor who has known many women. And Lady Wellman can do everything for him,” Edwin added reasonably. He tilted her chin upward. “If you don’t believe me, I can take you to Lady Wellman and have her tell you herself.”
Lianna looked into Edwin’s unwavering eyes and knew the last thing she wanted to hear was another woman tell her she had Josh’s love and Lianna no longer did. And she knew Josh would move heaven and earth to be accepted in London. “No, I don’t want to see her.”
He sat down beside her, taking her hand in his. “You owe this letter to Phillip. It may take months, even years to get an annulment. Start now, because I can be a father to Phillip. Don’t wait until you have to explain to your son why his father denied him, why he hated him.”
A wave of emotion rocked her and she clenched her teeth. She didn’t want Edwin to be father to Phillip! It was Josh, only him. The pain was all-consuming, hurting as badly as when she had been at sea and thought Josh might have perished.
“Be brave, Lianna. You’ve been so brave in the past. Do this for Phillip.”
“All right.”
Edwin summoned a butler to fetch a quill and paper and he dictated to her while she tried to see the paper through a blur of tears.
As soon as the letter was done, Edwin whisked it away and pulled her to her feet. “I have an appointment. I must go. Damn Josh Raven. I’ll make you forget him, Lianna.” He kissed her lightly and left, closing the door while she sank down and cried. She moved to the window. Josh was in London. He was alive—and would marry another. Of all the pain she had suffered, this seemed the worst. For a moment bitter hatred rose toward Edwin for his treachery in whisking her off El Feroz, but her anger faded as dull hopelessness—a burden of loss—overwhelmed her.
“Josh, I love you,” she whispered as her tears fell.
Two weeks later Lord Raven came to call, his arms loaded with presents for Phillip. Lianna smiled as she ushered him into the nursery. “You’ll spoil him terribly.”
“It will do the child good!” He picked up Phillip and swung him in the air, then lowered him to the floor to place a box in front of him. Lord Raven dropped down on the floor and began to untie the ribbon for Phillip. Lianna sank down on the floor, pulling Phillip onto her lap.
“The years have a way of changing a man,” Lord Raven said. “I miss Phillip.”
Lianna looked up sharply into green eyes. “I was harsh on Josh. Perhaps we were too much alike. We grated on each other’s nerves.”
“If you get a chance, I wish you would tell him,” she said, thinking of Josh, who had just been in London. She started to tell Lord Raven, but then held back. He and Josh had never gotten along. He loved Phillip and she would leave things alone.
“I don’t think I could tell him.” He pulled a set of wooden soldiers out of the box, neatly stacking them in rows in front of Phillip, who picked one up and began to chew on it. Lianna took it from Phillip as the duke said, “But I can make amends. I don’t want Phillip to be an outcast. I’ve changed my will. Josh will inherit, and in turn, Phillip will inherit everything I possess.”
Lianna drew a breath, momentarily closing her eyes, thinking swiftly that if Josh knew, perhaps he wouldn’t be as interested in marrying a wealthy woman. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Lord Raven that Josh had been in London, but she realized if he learned Josh was marrying someone else and ignoring his son, he might disinherit Josh after all. She brushed a thin lock of Phillip’s soft hair and was quiet except to say, “Thank you.”
The duke’s face flushed and he stood up suddenly. “I must be on my way. You can open the other boxes for him. Give me Phillip for one last hug.”
He held out his hands and she handed Phillip up to him. He carried him around the room, talking softly to him, then returned him to Lianna and left abruptly.
When Edwin stopped an hour later on his way to Portsmouth to see about one of her father’s ships, she told him the news of the duke’s change of heart.
Edwin’s jaw dropped, and he stared at her. “Phillip will inherit the Duke of Cathmoor’s estate someday! Great God in heaven, do you know how much he’ll own?”
“Remember, Josh will have it first,” she said flatly.
“Yes, but he’s sailed away, and with the kind of life he lives, his days are numbered,” Edwin said quietly. “Lianna, I’ll be gone for almost a month. May I kiss you good-bye?”
She wanted to say no, but Edwin had been good to her and Josh was gone forever. She nodded and he walked over to her, a cynical smile on his face.
“You want to refuse. I won’t push myself on you. Good-bye, love,” he said softly, and bent to kiss her cheek.
Lianna turned so her lips brushed his. Edwin drew his breath and wrapped his arms around her. “I’ve waited and waited,” he said hoarsely, and kissed her deeply.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, then stepped away when he released her. As soon as the door closed behind him, she wiped her mouth with her hand and began to cry. “Josh…”
During the next month Lord Raven’s visits stopped. Lianna decided he had gone on a journey or back to his farm, and dismissed it from her mind until Edwin came rushing in one day.
His eyes glittered and she could hear the excitement in his voice. “Lianna, I just learned that Lord Raven is dead.”
“Oh, no!” She felt regret and sadness, because she had come to like him in spite of the cruelty she knew he had inflicted on Josh. He had another side to him, one he had shown to Phillip. “I’m sorry.” She sat down on the sofa and ran her fingers over her brow.
“Good Lord, don’t tell me you cared for him! His reputation is of a man as mean as the devil himself!”
“He wasn’t to us!” she snapped, and saw Edwin frown. “I’m sorry, Edwin. He had moments of kindness and he showed that part of himself to me and to Phillip.”
“That he did,” Edwin said more calmly.
“He looked as strong as ever the last time he was here,” she said. “What happened?”
“They don’t know who did it, but someone found his body on his estate with a shot through his heart.”
“Oh, no!” She closed her eyes, hating the violence in life.
“Lianna, you really do care about him!”
“Yes. He loved Phillip.”
“You have a tender heart.” He paced the room, then stopped in front of her. “Come join me, and we’ll ride in my carriage. It’s a decent day today. It will do you good to get out of the house.
”
“I have to check on Phillip.”
“Betsy’s with Phillip. Come along, Lianna. Don’t brood over the duke.” Reluctantly she let Edwin take her arm.
Four months later, in March, Edwin was again in the office of Devon Tarpley. “I summoned you at once,” Tarpley said. “Joshua Raven is in London.”
33
“The devil!”
“He’s here to claim his inheritance, and word has it he intends to refurbish his father’s house or build a new one.”
Clenching his fists, Edwin swore bitterly. He wanted to put his fist through Devon Tarpley’s calm face, but it wouldn’t aid his cause. “Why isn’t this marriage dissolved?”
“It takes time for these matters, and it complicated things when it looked as if he had been drowned at sea.”
Edwin’s mind raced. “How long has he been back?”
“I sent word at once, and you were away in Portsm—”
“Dammit, how long?”
“A week today.”
“A week. And he hasn’t made an effort to contact Lianna.”
“Strangely enough, he’s going by another name. If you hadn’t asked me to watch for his arrival, I never would’ve caught this. He’s going by Brougher. Mr. Joshua Brougher.”
Edwin’s thoughts raced. Why hadn’t Raven tried to see Lianna? Was he really eager to end their marriage? Lianna had sworn that Josh Raven had known nothing of the child. It wouldn’t take long for him to learn. The damned annulment procedure took forever.
“Could you find out if he’s asked for an annulment?”
“I went personally to call on his solicitor. He doesn’t want an annulment.”
“Dammit to hell!” Edwin shouted, and shook his fist. He shouldn’t have gone to Portsmouth to see Molly, but the long months had built fires in him. Lianna’s figure had returned, and she had become a very desirable woman again. If he was to remain patient with Lianna, he needed Molly to satiate his appetite.
He leaned over the desk, his voice a hiss. “Get that marriage annulled!”
“The Church can’t be rushed. These things take time.”
“Do it!” Edwin stormed out and slammed the door behind him. He paused on the street, watching carriages moving in front of him. His own waited a few feet away. The handsome pair of bays had cost him dearly. Thank heaven he had been paid well by Lord Quimby, giving him funds to stay with Lianna. With the baby, she had been too occupied to take an interest in legal matters, willingly following his suggestion to turn them over to him. Someday she would make a good wife—in all ways but one. He pretended not to notice how she stiffened slightly if he touched her. That too would change in time.
Joshua Raven had survived! The man was tough, and the Church was slow to act. Edwin climbed into his carriage and took the reins, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully. If Raven met with an accident, Lianna would someday get over him. And Phillip would inherit. The child would own the world…and if Edwin married Lianna, he would be legal guardian of it all.
He mulled over the notion. Too bad Raven had survived the wreck of his ship. But if he met with a fateful accident at home…Edwin clamped his lips together and turned his carriage in the direction of the river. He knew where to go to find the men he wanted, and this time he would get proof that Raven was dead—he would ask them to cut off his ears and bring them to him.
While Edwin Stafford rode past the gin shops and the chandleries of London, in another solicitor’s office a conversation on a similar topic was taking place. In fawn-colored trousers, Josh Raven stretched his long legs and listened to a solicitor report on the progress of the annulment of his marriage to Lianna Melton.
For the thousandth time he reminded himself he would have to go carefully. Lianna had left with Edwin freely—her own choice. She had sought the annulment—again, her choice. He clenched his fist. All his life, he had fought for what he wanted; he would fight for Lianna and his son. A son! What a thrill he had felt when Markham said, “She has a boy.” His throat tightened and ached. He should have been at her side for the birth.
The tormenting thought that she might now love Edwin deeply, he refused to accept. He listened to his solicitor’s droning voice. Finally Hiram Harkham stopped reading a report aloud and looked up.
“Block it,” Joshua said quietly. “I don’t care how you do it, but stop the proceedings.”
“I can’t do that! This is a decision of the Church—”
“You can write a letter explaining that the father doesn’t want the annulment, that she thought I was dead, that there is a child now. Do whatever you can. I want time. Give me every minute possible.”
“Do you realize how much time has passed?”
“I nearly drowned! I just arrived in London last week.”
“She wrote this letter last November. The annulment could have already been granted, and word may even now be on the way.”
Joshua leaned forward. “If you receive word it’s granted, notify me at once, whether it’s midnight or dawn.”
“Of course. Edwin Stafford has been pushing for it with all the means at his disposal.”
“I don’t give a damn what Edwin Stafford is pushing for. Get a letter off today, saying that the situation has changed.”
“Very well. Now, as to your father’s estate, I have a document for you to sign.”
Joshua swiftly read the paper spread before him, still amazed that his father had changed his will. Josh wondered what had brought about the change of heart. After all this time, he suspected that all doors would open to him now. He signed and asked, “What about the fund for Fletcher Chance?”
“All deposited and ready, first payment to be made in three days.”
“Right.” Joshua stood up, extending his hand. “Let me know if there are any developments.”
“Yes, your grace.”
How strange the title sounded to his ears. He had inherited his father’s title, his house, his lands, his wealth. And it would all mean nothing if he didn’t have Lianna.
His mouth curved in a smile. “Just call me Mr. Brougher. I prefer to keep my arrival quiet for another few days.”
“Yes, your…Mr. Brougher.”
Outside, as Joshua mounted his new chestnut stallion, he thought about the costume party held by a childhood friend, the Duke of Haydon, only two weeks away. Josh’s pulse jumped because he had heard the guest list, and Lianna would be there. No mask could hide her identity from him.
His thoughts were so befuddled with memories of Lianna that he didn’t see the broad-shouldered young man who rode out of the shadows. Sunlight made spun gold of his hair as he turned his horse directly into Josh’s path, then rode beside him.
“Daydreaming, Josh?”
Josh laughed. “I suppose. Fletcher, a week more and you go to sea. I’ll miss you terribly.”
“Instead of me, you have another.”
“No, not yet.”
“I didn’t mean Lianna,” Fletcher said softly. “You’re being followed.”
Careful not to turn and look, Josh stared ahead down the broad lane as they rode past the park. “I hadn’t noticed. Are you sure?”
“You wouldn’t notice an elephant tagging after you. Your thoughts are in a foggy haze over Lianna,” Fletcher said dryly.
“True enough, friend. Fletcher, I have a son!”
“Great saints in heaven! I’m glad!” Fletcher clasped Josh’s shoulder and squeezed tightly.
“I don’t know any more than that. I pray he isn’t named Edwin!”
“A son—that’s grand.”
Josh’s thoughts shifted back to their previous discussion. “Who’s following me?”
“Two men. They’re big enough to be stevedores. And armed to the teeth.”
Josh digested this bit of information in silence. He felt a sudden flare of elation. If Edwin Stafford were having him followed—and there was no one else except Edwin to care—he must pose a threat. Perhaps Lianna was not so in love with Edwin as she had
hoped to be! He said, “I won’t underestimate Edwin Stafford a second time. Fletcher, ride back to my solicitor’s office. I want a full check on Stafford and on Lianna’s inheritance.”
“If I go, you’ll be alone.”
“In the middle of London on a sunny day! Go.”
Fletcher laughed and wheeled his horse around. Half an hour later, Josh stopped at another office to talk with the architect who would work on a new house. Josh couldn’t bear to live in the gloomy manor with so many terrible memories from childhood. He would have a new house built for Lianna.
He clenched his fists thinking of her. He wanted to storm her damned house and take her in his arms and kiss away every protest, but he had done that the first time and she had hated him for it. This time he would hold his impatience in check and try to win her love back.
Josh sat across the desk from Henry Rathborne as they studied drawings of the new Raven House. “I want a wing built to the west, a sunroom here, to run the length of the south side.” Josh sketched what he wanted, his tan fingers moving with surety.
“It will cost dearly.”
Green eyes settled on Rathborne. “Cost is no problem. Time is. How long will this take?”
Henry Rathborne mulled the question. What a plum the duke was giving him! Raven House would be talked about for decades as an architectural feat!
“A year.”
The Duke of Cathmoor shook his head. “No,” he said flatly. “I want it done in months. Two months. Funds are no problem. If you can’t—”
Henry Rathborne was experienced enough to recognize finality. He said hastily, “Three months. I’ll have it done.”
“Excellent! Start today.”
“Yes, your grace.”
Josh held up his hand. “‘Mr. Brougher’ for now. For a few days longer. If the neighbors inquire, or the villagers ask, tell them a Mr. Brougher owns it and will settle there when it’s finished.”
